Thursday, April 21, 2011

Our family recently spent three days and two nights (Wed-Fri) at the KalahariWaterPark and Resort in Sandusky, OH.This is the third water park in two years that Mommy Stuff and I have taken our two boys (the others being Zehnders in Frankenmuth, MI and Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, OH, too.)

I won't compare the other resorts to Kalahari here, for a couple of important reasons – 1) we spent more time in Kalahari, and 2) the more we've been to water parks, the more we have learned.

Let's run through the process and features, and along the way I'll provide our opinion.

Online Booking

The website is ok to use – not super simple, not overly complex.Being the bargain hunter I am, I naturally sought out the deals section.This part can be confusing – for the same dates there are multiple packages available, and it's not always easy to see "value" in the choices.

Locating the right resort and booking the dates was pretty straight forward.You get a quick confirmation of the booking automatically once you complete the process.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I've been biding my time, as our family awaits our new home completion.In this down time (10 months of it!), I have been an avid reader of some DIY blogs.I've book marked more than my fair share of sites, and while my dreams and mental capacity are infinite, my actual time and space are the polar opposite.

It was during the most recent stretch of crappy weather, that I came across some cool (and inexpensive) inspiration from a fellow blogger Peas and Crayons.Why owls?Well, in our new house we are going to have these on our mantle –

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Today, I'm going to tackle a topic that has recently added some salt to a fresh wound.

Bullying. But more than physical. Verbal bullying.

My oldest son is the youngest (by far) in his all day K class. As he was turning 5, the bulk of his peer group was turning 6. I'm sure many of you parents have been faced with a tough decision on whether to send your child to school early, or wait. Our decision to send early was affirmed by our son's teacher. D has no problem with the material, the mastery of it, or any of the needed skills.

But - and there is always a but - I'm not kidding myself. A year less of maturity, intra personal problem solving and just physical growth, does put D in a difficult position.

D is short for his age, which is amplified when he's around kids older than him. He is gregarious, and often quite loud, which I suspect is his defense mechanism to stress. Let me be nice to everyone, so no one will try to hurt me.

He didn't have mutant super powers. He didn't have X-Ray vision. He was soldier given Super Serum, with a tough as nails shield. He was stronger than most, muscular like few, and of single minded purpose. And that's what I found most compelling.

If you look over ----> you'll see a little about me in my Bio. Being a first generation American, I feel a special bond with those that love the country like Cap. This land gave my family opportunity, and the values that the US of A stands for are those that I hold most dear.

They are the same values that I try (and sometimes succeed) in teaching my 2 boys.

So, Cap has become a mascot of mine. I get shirts, have a little figurine, even a print somewhere in the bowels of our storage unit.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Translating desire and ideas into action is sometimes really easy. Sometimes it just flows. Sometimes things just fall into place, as if an invisible hand is guiding it.

And then there is this attempted blog. Fail.

Despite my best intentions, life gets in the way. How so?

1. Huge ramp in work load
2. Ginormous change in living conditions (you'll see in a moment...)
3. Demands on personal time change drastically
4. Desire to be a good dad, hubba and friend

Number 2 is the biggest issue, by far. We moved out of our home in July, and planned to be in a new home by September.

It's now January. No home. Living in a nice (albeit cramped) condo - Thanks Marie! - but not LIVING, if you know the difference. And with 2 wonderful, trying, active (think coiled springs) boys - home is where the hoarse is.

So evenings are spent trying to entertain, enrich, contain, and teach our boys what's good and bad, right and wrong, up and down, without squelching their curiosity or boyness.

And, we fail at that, too, sometimes.

I think there is light at the end of the tunnel, because recently, at the new crib - Walls are up. Wiring is in. Roof is on. Windows are in. A home is taking shape:

OK, so it's not the REAL house. I'll get those up soon. :)

But over the next couple of weeks (knock, knock) I plan on putting some guys stuff down here. For instance:

1. An article on investments (and I highly recommend reading The Motley Fool website), what is good to look at before you commit money, and what as dads we can do to ensure our kids will have enough to go to college.
2. Some info on The Do's and Don'ts in building a home (this is our second, so of course, we're experts!)
3. And ramblings on Speakers, Cars (I'm biased, and I'll let you know why), Watches, Stereo Equipment, Blogs I read... a whole lot of stuff.

So bear with me, and join me. I think this could be fun. I sure hope it will be interesting!

About Me

A thirtysomething man, living the American Dream. Proud of my heritage (Italians rock!), my parents, my family, and my achievements. Humble enough to know that I'm blessed beyond belief, and not everything is due to me.